Love in the Shadows
by happyfacerajan
Summary: GENDER-BENDER! (I know,another one) Gray/Graya, Juvia/Julian, Natsu/Natsa, Lucy/Luke, Erza/Erzo Graya is lonely, but she hides it. Inside, she truly needs someone to love her. Julian is in love with her, but won't admit it to her because one, he is to wimpy, and two, he thinks she will push him away. Little do they know that they need each other. How will it turn out for them?
1. A Single Tear

Graya's POV

It was lonely, sometimes. Sometimes, I missed my adoptive mother Ur. I sometimes even missed Lyona, even though she annoyed the heck out of me. I missed them because they loved me. I know people in Fairy Tail love me, but not the same way they did. When I first came to Fairy Tail, I found an empty room to cry in once in a while. Now, I can hold it together for months. Most people find me annoying, but nice. To others, I was nice, but annoying. No on really loved me like Ur loved me. But nobody knew that. Nobody could see that. If anyone saw that, I would loose everything. Nobody would ever even imagine loving a vulnerable frail person. I could not let anyone see the loneliness. No one.

Julian's POV

I could see it in her eyes. The way they would darken at times. When she thought no one was looking. When she thought no one could see. I could see her though. I could see the darkness and deep sadness in her blue eyes. As much as I would love to comfort her, I know she would never take it. She would push me away, just like everyone else. I would rather be not noticed than pushed away. This way, I could still keep an eye on her, even if it was just from the shadows. Even if she never knew someone was caring about her.

Graya's POV

It was late on a Tuesday. No one was in the guild, and there was no movement that I could see. I sat down at one of the benches. It creaked as I sat down. _Who knew the guild was so dead with out that Pink-haired idiot around. Tsk. _I felt a prickling at the back of my neck. I rubbed the spot, turning around. No one was there. _Just my imagination. _I thought. I sat down again, and rest my head in between my palms. I let one tear slide down my cheek. I froze it quickly. Only one. I felt the prickling again, and this time I was sure it wasn't my imagination. I spun around, my ice make at the ready. Someone was watching me. _Did they see it?_ I wondered. _Did they see my single tear?_ No. No one could see me cry.

"Who's there? No use hiding anymore." I said. I circled around again, this time slower. I heard a shuffling from the front of the guild, and saw the door open, a shadow slipping through.

"Damn!" I hurried out of the guild. Whoever that shadow was, I would be waiting for them tomorrow.


	2. The Cloaked Figure

Graya's POV

I couldn't get the shadow figure out of my head. _Who could it be?_ I thought. _No one even knew I came to the guild so late._ I pulled off my shirt. All this thinking was getting me hot. I could think of no one who had passed out when I left the guild, so no one would have been there. I glanced around. Romeo sitting with Wendy and Carla, Elfman arm wrestling with Natsa and losing, Gajeel with Levy, Freed talking to Laxus who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else, and Gramps looking smug. In my periferal vision, I saw a movement behind a pillar. I turned my head, and the figure hid behind the pillar, but not before I saw a flash of short turquoise blue hair. _Was that the person?_ I wondered. _Turquoise hair? I don't think I know anyone with that shade..._ I stood up and rushed over to the pillar. I glanced both ways, but whoever was there was gone. _I will catch you._ I thought.

"Chasing ghosts, Popsicle?"

"Say what, Droopy-Eyes?!" I snapped back. The mystery person would have to wait.

Julian's POV

She was beautiful. I wondered if anyone had ever told her that. The way her muscles rippled when she moved, the quick way she came back to Natsa's insults, how she carelessly tossed her navy hair into a ponytail. It gave me shivers just thinking about her. But I could not and would not tell her. I knew the way that she cursed out any guy that happened to glance at her. If she knew it was me... If she knew it was me, Coward Julian, she would never love me the way I loved her. I loved every side of her. The sentimental caring side, the tough-love bitch side, and the wild-card side. I would get a chance to see her again tonight. Of coarse she would turn up. If I had wanted to leave silently, I could have. But I knew she would come after me. Maybe if it was just me and her alone I could tell her who I was. Maybe. Just Maybe.

Graya's POV

1:00 AM. Same time I was here the other day... _I wonder if the shadow guy will be here... _I thought. I looked around inside the guild. One single light was hanging by the bar.

"Hello?" I called out. It echoed around the guild. I didn't here anything other than the blinds blowing against the window panes. I sat down at a stool by the bar. I was starting to get restless after 15 minutes. _Where IS he?_ I wondered. After 30 minutes, I was starting to zone out.

FLASH BACK

I was sitting on my bed. Ur and Lyona were supposed to be here 2 hours ago. I was crying into my pillow. I always acted tough, but I hated the dark. I reminded me of the time before I was with Ur. It was the only thing that truly scared me. Being alone in the dark. I heard a tree branch scrape against my window. I jumped and ran into Ur's room. A coat on a hanger scared me in the hallway, so I ran back to my room, screaming. The electricity was down, so I couldn't turn on my lamp. It was cold. So cold. Not cold like the ice. The ice was a welcoming cold. It was an inside cold, a frightening cold. I heard the door open. I screamed into my pillow. Ur ran into my room. 'I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry...'

I woke up with a jolt. When did I fall asleep? Where was I? I tasted salt in my mouth. Tears?

"Are you okay?" I turned around and went to slap the person. The cloaked figure caught my hand before it collided with his face.

"Did you see?" I asked, my voice cracking. I already knew the answer.

"Your tears? Yes, I did." I turned my face away from the man. He still held my wrist in a steel grip.

"Don't be ashamed of them. They're...beautiful." I gasped. When was the last time someone called anything about me beautiful?

"I..I.. Who are you?" I asked.

"It's 2:30 AM on a Thursday. My secret deserves a better setting." The man said, loosening the grip on my wrist.

"Cana always comes in at 2:35." I said.

"Tell me who you are or I'll scream."

"M-hm. Try. Ruin your tough reputation." The man said. He let go of my wrist and I grabbed for the hood. He ducked.

"See you later. You probably won't even see me..." He said, disappearing.

"Bye..." I said. Cana walked in.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"What does it matter to you?" I replied. My mind was far away, trying to make sense of what he just said. _And the mystery deepens._


	3. Look Around

Julian's POV

It was hard being two people. One, the true me, and the other, the personality under the cloak. I knew that she would never love the real me, only the one under the cloak. She could never know that it was me. It would ruin this, this friendship, between the cloak figure and the ice queen. It was the closest I hd ever been to her. I liked our relationship the way it was. I would arrive early, sit next to her mostly. Sometimes we talked. I would dodge a few hood flips, and I would leave before the guild members arrived. I would take off my cloak in the men's dorms. I would enter after 2-4 hours of sleep. She never suspected me. At least I hope she didn't. If she did, she didn't show it. Not that I ever got close enough to tell. I always looked at her from a distance, but still in plain sight. I was in the guild, though most people didn't notice me. I was pretty good friends with everybody, (especially Luke, even though sometimes I thought he had and eye on Graya), but I was very unnoticeable. I had almost no worries that Graya would find out about me. Erzo was the only person who knew my secret, and he promised not to tell. But when he grinned at me while talking to Graya, I wasn't so sure.

Graya's POV

I was getting closer to this 'Hooded Man'. We met up about three times before I decided to do some detective work. No one I knew could relate to any part of my past, and all girls were eliminated. The shadow figure was obviously a man. And the only man I knew with blue hair was Macao, and it wasn't turquoise. I would sometimes feel like someone was watching me, but when I turned around, the only thing I saw was either white fur trim or blue hair. I was getting frustrated.

"GRAYA, GRAYA, GRAYA ARE YOU LISTENING!?" Erzo yelled. I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Umm, eh, you see..." I murmured. Nobody liked an angry Erzo.

"What seems to be the problem?" He asked, suddenly very calm and eating a piece of strawberry cake (where it came from no one knew!) and looking at me very closely.

"Well, there's this guy, and well, he is always in a cloak, and uh, he won't tell me who he is..." I stuttered. I might as well tell Erzo the truth, because if I didn't, he might find out and try to kill me.

"Hmmm..." He set down his strawberry cake.

"I know who it is." He said. He picked up his strawberry cake and started eating again.

"WHAT? Who is it tell me NOW!" _How could he know who it is from a tiny bit of information?_

"Yes it's true. I know exactly who it is and..." Erzo looked over my shoulder and winked. I swiveled around in my chair. A coat lay on the floor. I swiveled back in my chair.

"A coat.?" I asked. "What the hell."

"Oh no, there was a person sitting on that coat. He just became chicken and ran away." I turned back around in my chair and the coat was gone. _The man I meet isn't much of a chicken..._I thought.

"Please tell me who it was!" I said, whining. I needed to know so that I could talk to them without having to look into a cloak hood and actually look into their eyes.

"No. You're closer than you think to finding the answer, you just never actually look around." And with that, Erzo walked away, leaving me much more confused then I was when I woke up this morning.

**~Yawn~ I've been working so hard on these chapters! So more coming either later today or tomorrow around 5:00...**

**Please Review!**


	4. What is Love?

Julian's POV

"Why don't you just confess to her already?! She's falling for your hooded man persona. You're no that far off-"

"Yes I am, Erzo! I am that far off! I'm a wimpy freak, my body's made of water for Mavis's sake! She doesn't even know who I am! I thought she'd have it when I accidentally revealed my hair, but she can't even match it to me!" I shouted. Erzo stared at me, wide eyed.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" I asked. I was pissed. Erzo had been heckling me all afternoon, and I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.

"That was the first time you spoke without putting yourself in the third person." Erzo said.

"We're on a roll here. You're losing your old 'wimpy' persona, and you're encompasing more of the character of the hooded man!" Erzo said happily.

"Really?..." I said as I sat down on Erzo's bed. He had promised to trap me in his bedroom until I gave up.

"I-I-I didn't?" I asked. I caught myself this time. I wasn't using the third person. _So this is how it feels._ I thought, bewildered. _Maybe I do have a chance._ I got up and left Erzo's apartment, and Erzo did nothing to stop me.

Graya's POV

I was going to meet him again tonight, but I was going to find out who he was once and for all. I was going to find out, whether he liked it or not. I didn't really have a choice, it was either get beat up by Mira-Jane (shiver) or find out who this phantom guy was.

FLASHBACK

"I've seen you haven't been eating much." Mira-Jane said as I picked at my food.

"Boy troubles?" Everyone knew Mira-Jane was a matchmaker. For good or for evil, no one could really figure out. But one thing was for certain, she got the couples together. Sometimes they didn't need her help that much, like Natsa and Luke, or they needed a huge push, like Bisca and Alzec. For me, telling Mira-Jane wasn't an option.

"Ah, no, more of eating when I get home." I lied. Mira-Jane obviously wasn't satisfied with my answer, but she nodded and continued cleaning beer jugs.

"If you don't start eating soon..." I all of a sudden felt a dark aura coming from Mira-Jane.

"He-he-he nothing to worry about M-M-Mira-Jane." I stuttered.

"Good." She said, returning to her old self. I sighed. Was this mystery ever going to end? It was tiring me out, and the constant reminders that someone was watching me was unnerving. _Please,_ I thought. _Please just tell me._

Julian's POV

I watched her enter the guild. I heard the conversation between Graya and Mira-Jane earlier. _Looks like I should stay a little further back from her today._ I thought. Graya walked up to the same stool she always sits on, and I wait for 30 minutes. As she sits there, I have time to watch her breathing, her posture, the way she fiddles with the button on her shirt when 30 minutes is almost up. I can hardley wait to talk to her, maybe if I worked up enough courage I could tell her...maybe I had a small chance...

I walked up to her through the same way I always do. She surprised me with a questions before I even sat down beside her. I forgot all about staying away from her, I just wanted her closer.

"What is love?" She asked. She looked up at me, but her eyes searched for any sign of anything from me.

"I-I..." I started. She caught me off guard. I looked into her eyes and told he exactly how I felt about her, while answering her question.

"I think love is when you feel like you want to be close to someone all the time, when you feel like the person is the only one how can make you feel better. Love is when you can feel and understand the other person's feelings and relate. Love is when...you feel strongly towards someone..." I trailed off. I didn't want her to hear the tears choking up my throat, and my voice cracking.

"Then I must be...in love...with..." Graya, who had her head in her palms, looked at me.

"Then I must be in love with you." I gasped. Suddenly, my hood was off. In the split second I had let my guard down, she had pulled it off.

"Julian?!" She said. Tears where screaming down my cheeks.

"Was all that just to see who was under the hood? Did you say that you loved me just to pull it off, to see who was beneath?" I sobbed. No point in hiding now.

"No, I-"

"Don't say anything. I heard the conversation between you and Mira-Jane earlier today. You were desperate, and you needed to do anything. You took advantage of my love?!" I was screaming now, running out of the guild doors, leaving Graya behind.

"I still love you..." Graya said, but I was already gone.


	5. Why are things so complicated?

Graya's POV

I laid on my bed. I didn't bother to wipe off the tears running down my cheeks, since they would just be renewed minutes later._ How did I not realize it was Julian?!_ I thought. I had stayed in the guild for the rest of the day to see if he came back. He didn't. I found myself wondering what he was doing, but instead of a shadow figure, I saw Julian. _Is this what love is?_ I wondered. I had fallen for the shadow figure way before I even knew it was Julian, but I had just realized it this morning. Why didn't he believe me? He didn't tell me that he loved me, but he definitely showed it. He heard me say I loved him, so why did he run away if he loved me too? _Why are things so complicated?_ I thought. I rolled over and cried myself to sleep._ I will never forget him. No matter how much he changes, I will never forget him._

Julian's POV

I laid in my apartment. My cold, unwelcoming apartment shared with two other guild members. I couldn't freely cry without waking them up, and I didn't want to cry in front of them. They barely noticed me anyway, and I didn't want to gain attention. As silently as I could, I left my apartment, and found myself walking to a public garden. I sat down on one of the benches and cried. I didn't sob or wail, I just cried. Would it have been better if I had never met her at the guild? _I definitely don't have any chance of her loving me now, after tonight. _I thought. _If I even ever had a chance._ Graya was known for her trickiness, but I never thought that she might lie to me to get what she wanted. Was she that kind of person? Would she lie of cheat to get what she wanted? A gust of wind blew, and I shivered. _Why are things so complicated?_ I thought. I stopped the tears the best I could and walked back to my apartment. _I will always love her, no matter how much she hates me, I will always love her._


	6. The Garden

Graya's POV

I went to the guild. Going to the guild and being a bitch to everyone was personally better than staying at home all day, self pitying, as if I went through a break-up, even though we were never together. I didn't bother to look good today. I had dark circles under my eyes, my hair was pulled back in a ratty, tangled mess, and I wore black sweatpants and a navy blue sweatshirt saying 'If you can read this, you're too close'. It fit my mood exactly. Nobody came up and talked to me, not even Mira-Jane or Natsa. Around two 'o' clock, I saw Julian come into the guild. I smirked. He didn't look any better than me. His hair was sticking up in all directions, and his vest was buttoned up wrong. _Today's going to be interesting._ I thought.

Julian's POV

Graya was there. Of coarse she was there. She didn't want to be weak, unlike me, who wanted to be gone as much as possible. I don't know why, but I never had liked people. I always had theories that it was because I wasn't entirely human. It was probably just an excuse. Graya was an exception. She was the first person I liked. I was attracted to her because of her way of acting out, to attracting and pushing people away. It was almost like she had a remote. It was a thing that I lacked. As I got to know her better, the more I fell in love with her, the more I came to the guild filled with people. I started to get warmed up to being around people. She opened the Julian box. The Julian box that was full of hidden personalities and feelings.

Graya's POV

I saw Julian disappear behind the guild into the garden. _Escaping_. I thought. I sneaked my way around people and followed him, unnoticed. The garden was my favorite part of the guild. There was a little spot behind a wall of vines that I could crawl into. No one could find me there. As I stepped into the garden, I looked around for garden was silent, not a soul to be found. He couldn't have gone far since I had gotten there just a few second later than than him.

"Julian?" I called out. I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to find out why he ran away. I wanted to find out if he truly loved me like I loved him. Suddenly, I hesitated. _What if he didn't love me? What if he said it was all a joke, just a dare?_ Tears started clouding my vision. I pulled off my sweatshirt and through it into the grass. I was going to find him and ask him what he thought. If it was a dare, I would beat the crap out of him and hang him naked in town square.

Julian's POV

The garden was my favorite spot in the guild. There was a group of vines that had a hidden crevice behind them that I could crawl into and cry or just sit there until the night. It was so peaceful, and I could feel the wind whipping in my hair. I hadn't been there for a while, since I wanted to keep my eye on Graya.

"Julian?" I heard. I peeked out of my hiding spot to see who it was.

"Graya?" I whispered. I quickly covered my mouth with my hand. I pulled back quickly. She probably wanted to tease me, to tell me it was all a trick. i couldn't hear that from her. Anyone but her._ Please, _I thought. _Don't find me._

**This story will be done soon! Please review and tell me what couple you people want next XD I already have some requests for StingXLucy. Please tell me what you want :)**


	7. Behind the Vine Wall

Graya's POV

I heard a small whisper in the wind. I turned around quickly.

"Julian, is that you?" No one replied. I was furious. _Hide 'n' seek, huh?_ I thought. I chuckled to myself. _He's making this awfully hard for me._ I sat down on a bench for a second. _Maybe he left when I wasn't looking._ I thought. I closed my eyes. All I wanted was for Julian to be here. I wanted to keep talking about the ocean, about the time he fell off his surf board. I wanted to hear his voice rattling on and on about how much he would love to go to some far away place. Mostly I would just listen to his voice, not necessarily the stories he was telling. I wanted to go back in time, to fix whatever I said wrong to hurt him. I opened my eyes and saw the vine wall. _Maybe I should relax there for a while..._ I thought. I stood up from the bench and walked over to it. I pulled the vines aside and gasped.

"Julian?!"

Graya's POV

"How could you just leave me there!" I screamed at him.

"I-I" I cut him off. I was so angry, I could explode.

"No excuses! You just ran off and didn't even get to hear what I said!" I screamed. Julian flinched and I stopped to catch my breath.

"You little-" Julian reached down and cupped my face. I stopped speaking and gulped. His hands felt so cooling.

"Do you love me?" I asked. He exhaled. My body wanted to run away, not to hear what he was going to say. But I stayed strong. I could not be weak. He looked into my eyes and kissed me. He moved his hands from my face to my waist and pulled me closer, deepening the kiss. I was stunned, but started to kiss back. His lips felt like cold water, putting out my angry fire.

"I take that as a yes?" I asked, pulling away. He smiled and nodded.

"Yes."

Julian's POV

I was in a certain state of calm when she yelled at me. I deserved it. When she stopped to take a breath, her was so cutely flushed, and her hands were in little fists. She looked like a toddler who had just been refused a piece of candy. I reached down and grasped her face in my hands. I didn't feel like Wimpy Julian anymore. I felt like I had no worries. Like everything would turn out okay.

"Do you love me?" She asked. What a simple question. Wasn't it obvious? What happened next felt in slow motion. I kissed her. I had no doubts about my actions for the first time. And the kiss it's self was freeing me of my insecurities, if I had any left by that time. Her lips were soft like rose petals, surprising, since such harsh words could be said by them. Her lips were like drugs. They made me forget anything else. I wasn't here, I wasn't there, I just was. The Julian box had been opened again, and this time, permanently.

**One more chapter coming tomorrow! Sorry! I have to take a break since I have been writing all morning...Can't write later today because I will be gone... Sorry! Will write tomorrow so don't kill me XD**


	8. Melty

Graya's POV

I scooted closer to Julian inside the Vine Cave.

"Graya, you realize you can't get any closer to me than you are now?" Julian said. He smiled down at me and shook his head.

"I can't help it!" I replied. I knew I was acting like a love-sick girly-girl, but I just made out with the man of my dreams! I should be allowed to be all giggly and snuggly! Julian laughed and kissed the top of my head. Warmth spread across me and I closed my eyes and leaned on his shoulder. I wasn't used to living with love, and it was making me feel all weird. No one had loved me, or at least I thought no one loved me, in Fairy Tail. As much as I hate to admit it, I was lonely. I wanted to be hugged. For over 9 years, I had felt none of the love that I needed, and now that I had it, I didn't know what to do with it.

"Are you asleep?" Julian whispered. I could feel his warm breath on my ear as he leaned closer to me. I shivered. I heard Julian take off his jacket.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I opened one eye.

"Stripping's my job." Julian chuckled.

"I saw you shiver a moment ago, so I assumed you were cold." Julian said. He wrapped his jacket over my shoulders. _How can he notice every little thing?_ I wondered. _How can he care so much about one person?_ I blushed when he pulled me into a tight hug.

"I love you so much." I said. Julian lifted my chin up so that I was looking straight into his navy blue eyes.

"I love you too, Graya. I never want you to forget that." He leaned down and kissed me. At that moment, I was the happiest I had been in a long, long time.

Julian's POV

"So, you got the girl, huh?" Erzo said as he slapped me on the back. My body took it as an attack, so Erzo's hand went straight through me. Erzo ignored it and kept on talking.

"I knew you could do it! Let's celebrate with 200 strawberry cakes! Don't worry, I'll eat 102 of them." I sweat dropped. _Erza's just using me as an excuse to eat cake! _

Elfman brought me out of my thoughts.

"So manly to man up!" He shouted. I sweat dropped again. _I hate this attention! Where is Graya?! Maybe we could leave..._ I looked around wildly. Graya was surrounded by other girls.

"How did you score such a hot guy?"

"OMG tell me your secret!"

"I've had the biggest crush on him!"

"What's his name? Julian? That's so cute!" I sweat dropped for the third time. _I have to evacuate!_ I thought. I slipped away from the men's group while Erzo challenged Luke to an arm wrestle. As soon as I got to the girl's group, I immediately regretted coming. The girl's oohed and ahhed like they would to a celebrity. I could feel my cheeks turning as red as Erzo's hair.

"Is that him?"

"OMG he's soooooo cute!" I wanted to crawl into a corner and never come back.

"G-Graya, can w-we go now?" I asked.

"You're so cute when you're flustered." Graya said. I turned even more red.

"But yes, I can see how much you're being tortured, so yes, we can leave now." I breathed a sigh of relief. We snuck out as fast as we could, and didn't stop running until we got to her house. _At least it will be quiet here._ I thought as Graya opened the door to her apartment. As soon as we closed the doors behind us, Natsa, Luke, Happy, Carla, Wendy, and Erzo jumped up.

"Happy Relationship Party!

"What..." Before I knew it, my hands where a quickly dissolving into water and my brain felt fried.

"You're so cute when you're flustered, Julian." Graya said, laughing. She pulled me up and kissed me. My body became whole again. _Hold it together._ I thought. At the end of the night, Graya and I were left alone in her apartment. I held her close.

"Next time we are about to have a party, remember to tell me to sit in the bath tub the whole time."

"No, I think it's cute when you get all melty."

"Melty?" I said, faking a pout.

"MELTY?!" Graya laughed. I tackled her and kissed her. _I love her more than anyone in the entire universe. Even if I am wimpy and melty, I will never stop loving her._

**The End! I hoped you liked it! I need to take a teeny break before I start writing again, so while you're waiting, leave a review of which couple you want next please!**


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